


unexpected (or, the one thing fitz and robbie have in common)

by blacksatinpointeshoes



Series: Agent Robbie Reyes 'verse [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/M, Gen, Halloween, Haunted House, Quakerider Halloween Challenge, i finally finished this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 10:49:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12580068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacksatinpointeshoes/pseuds/blacksatinpointeshoes
Summary: SHIELD’s annual trick-or-treat outing, which is usually hitting up haunted houses and seeing which one can make Fitz scream the loudest before meandering over to a bar for Daisy and Jemma’s drinking competition, has this year included one Robbie Reyes. Considering the fact that the man is literally possessed by a flaming ghost, nobody expected a haunted house to be a problem.But Robbie isn’t exactly what anyone expected, is he?





	unexpected (or, the one thing fitz and robbie have in common)

**Author's Note:**

> hot DAMN I finally finished it! thanks to Fierysky (whistlingwindtree) and AllTheNamesIWantedWereUsed (a-light-in-the-dark-I-hope) for getting me into this fantastic challenge. kudos and compliments to the rest of the incredible people involved!

“Dude,” says Mack, upon the group’s entrance to the haunted house, “you’re not actually scared, are you?”

Robbie, who looks like he wants to retreat into his jacket, glances up at the other man and asks, “What, me?”

This is essentially how the entire night has gone. SHIELD’s annual trick-or-treat outing, which is usually hitting up haunted houses and seeing which one can make Fitz scream the loudest before meandering over to a bar for Daisy and Jemma’s drinking competition, has this year included one Robbie Reyes. Considering the fact that the man is literally possessed by a flaming ghost, nobody thought some teenagers’ grim reaper masks and some fake blood would be a problem.

Except… he’s been uncharacteristically quiet, even for Robbie – which means he’s hardly spoken a word at all. He’s distant, on edge, almost twitchy, and no one has been able to actually get through to him. So when Daisy proposed their first haunted house (prompting a very loud, exasperated groan from Fitz), Robbie only gave a “yeah, sure” before returning to silence.

Which is weird. Very weird. Hence Mack’s question.

“Yeah, you,” Mack replies with one of his reassuring half smiles tossed over his shoulder. “You’re like a turtle back there.”

Daisy leans over to kiss Robbie’s cheek when she agrees, still impressed that Coulson let him out of base with a shirt that just said ‘costume.’ “Yeah, is everything alright?”

Robbie raises a skeptical brow in their direction at the sound of their concern. “It’s Halloween, man. All I am is freezing out here.”

That’s a reasonable answer. Halloween up north is pretty damn cold; even with the jacket, Robbie’s cheeks and nose are flushed with red. Daisy takes his freezing hands in hers and laces them together, a little smirk dashing across her face.

(Daisy is dressed as a devil in a short blood-red dress and black leggings. She even has the horns to go with it. Both Robbie and Daisy think the costume is so amusing in more ways than one, and the stretchy red material hugs her curves in a way Robbie would never complain about.)

“If you’re scared…,” she teases, and Robbie huffs in good-natured annoyance. “Hey, hey, I’m just giving you a way out, Reyes.”

“I’ve handled worse,” says Robbie drily, so in they go.

Fitz is by far the worst out of any of them when it comes to haunted houses, despite recently having been an alternate dimension ghost himself. Jemma, on the other hand, loves the places and can often be found lingering because, “Oh, _look,_ Fitz! I think they’ve used baking soda to create the bubbles here, such a convincing reaction; we _really_ ought to ask the staff when we get out. Well done indeed.”

So the pair of scientists are as reliable as ever, with Fitz mumbling, “And here begins the stuff of my nightmares for the next three weeks,” as the team walks inside.

The haunted house is a fundraiser for some charity, held in an abandoned barn in the middle of a cornfield. It’s appropriately spooky and supposedly one of the scariest around, with a section labelled “18+” (Fitz has already declared that room off limits). Daisy, the thrill seeker, is bright eyed and enthusiastic as the typical barrage of frights begin.

For all intents and purposes, the house is scary. Robbie is faring better than anyone had feared, though even Mack had jumped at a monster springing from around a corner. (Yo-Yo laughs at him so hard that the volunteer worker in the mask is a bit confused. Mack sighs and hands her twenty dollars for their annual Halloween bet. She won - again.)

Upon their entrance to the barn’s last room, the door swings shut behind them. It’s pitch black and empty – not even the exit is visible anymore. “I think we have to find our way out,” says Daisy thoughtfully, holding her arms out in front of her. “Jemma, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me,” says the young doctor with excitement. “It seems like the idea is we can’t leave until we find the door – how clever! I suppose we ought to get to the walls first and start feeling around. The person who finds the door can open it and from there we’ll all follow.”

“Good plan.” Daisy loves this, the adrenaline of the mission without any stakes, where she and Simmons get to properly engage in “bad girl shenanigans” but _without_ doing anything illegal. It’s nice. Until –

“Jesus _fuck_ –”

And then screaming. Screaming that doesn’t belong to anyone on the team. The lights flicker on and the agents of SHIELD realise that they were definitely not alone.

Lining the walls are more haunted house volunteers in various costumes, each with a light hanging above their heads to illuminate the creatures in the dark. One such volunteer had tried to sneak up behind Robbie in order to kickstart the action and instead was now lying on the ground, whimpering.

“Woah,” says Mack with a frown, voicing everyone’s thoughts. “What the hell just happened?”

The kid with vampire makeup is cradling his left hand, while Robbie stands looking sheepish. “Look, I wasn’t trying to hurt him,” he says defensively. “I just – reacted.” He pauses. “Overreacted.”

Daisy makes her way over to Robbie while Simmons talks to the kid – “Not broken, just sprained!” – and tries, for the volunteer’s sake, to keep the smile out of her voice.

“Weren’t scared, my ass,” she whispers, and a low laugh escapes his lips.

“I wasn’t,” he insists, though he’s fighting a losing battle.

“Oh really?” Daisy asks with a smirk. “Then what was that?”

“I was just jumpy.”

“Sure, Reyes. Whatever you want to tell yourself.” Daisy flashes a quick, blinding grin, looking rather impish in her devil’s costume.

“Aw, Daisy, come on –”

* * *

 

They get kicked out of the haunted house. Fits declares that they’ve finally found an occasion that tops the time when he fell into a cardboard display and got fake blood all over himself, his costume, and a plethora of haunted house scarers, but Jemma counters him with peals of laughter. Once they’re out it seems that’s all they can do – laugh, because the Ghost Rider himself was just terrified by a fifteen year old kid in a Halloween costume.

“What do you say we head back to base?” Daisy proposes, glancing around the group. “Pick up some beers, rent a movie.”

“What movie?” asks Fitz warily, catching the look between Daisy and Jemma. He knows the kind of stuff that happens when those two get that gleam in their eyes.

“ _Insidious?”_

And for once Fitz isn’t alone in his rejection of traditional Halloween horrors because Robbie’s voice joins his for a firm, resounding, “NO.” 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are always appreciated. I’m on tumblr at thoughtsbubble if you’d like to yell at/with me :)


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